Coming Home
by Sallychan-Stories
Summary: Instead of leading a revolution, the tired and beaten Princess of Albion returns home to Fairfax Castle, and more importantly, to her brother, Logan. M rating for themes, but not royalcest. Will add an epilouge for the fans though. ;D
1. Whose at the door? Oh, just the Princess

Another sigh escaped the King of Albion's lips; a low, barely audible sigh, but a sigh none-the-less. Ever since his sister had left, or more, was presumably kidnapped, he couldn't stop thinking about the last time he had seen her. He replayed her words in his head countless times.

_"I will never forgive you for this!"_

He pursed his lips together to hold back a frown. Could she really have just, _left_? Gone gallivanting across Albion with _nothing_? Not one object was missing from her room, aside from the set of clothes she had been wearing that day, which had been all-too-showy, in Logan's opinion. A small skirt and a low-cut blouse does not a crown princess wear.

Logan let out another near-silent sigh. Her words repeated in his head again. Then he began to think about what_ he_ had said to her.

_"Good, then you will never forget it."_

He inwardly kicked himself again, as he had done for weeks. 'Good, then you will never forget it'? He had just condemned her little.. "friend" to _death_. Had he really been so heartless? His lips formed a line once more.

"Damn it all." He murmured to himself as he stepped out of the War Room. He folded his hands behind his back as he walked. Perhaps now the guards would have word of her, or Walter, or Jasper, or _anyone_. Logan turned out of the hall and began to move down the steps. Suddenly, the shouts and voices of a large commotion outside the castle doors roused him from his near-depression-like state.

"Another mob?" he questioned to no one. No guards had come to inform him of this. He scowled, moving faster towards the bottom of the stairs. One of his men came running in, looking so frantic that he left the door ajar. His scowl deepened as he finally reached the end of the flight. "What is the meaning of this!" he demanded heatedly.

"L-Lord Logan! I-In the courtyard, a-a light appeared from the ground and-and then.. I-!" the man let out a gasp as he heard the door behind him open fully with an eerie creaking and he spun around and away from his king. Logan's eyes adjusted to the brightness of midday slowly, settling on the familiar silhouette in the doorway. His mouth opened slightly as words tried to form on his tongue, but before he could say anything, the sound of metal clattering to the marble floor rang out into the stunned silence of the main room. She had dropped her sword.

A sniffle came from the figure as its shoulders began to shake and it ran towards a shocked Logan. He took a step back as he was engulfed in the embrace of the small young woman.

"V-Vanessa!" he sputtered out in disbelief. She wrapped her arms tighter around his neck as she buried her face there with choked sobs. His arms wrapped around her out of habit and he began to look her over. Her hair was messy and frizzy and almost.. _matted_ looking. He concluded she must have been out in the rain, and not for a stroll down Bowerstone Lake, she was filthy. Her shirt and skirt were tattered and there was dry and fresh blood spots splattered about them randomly. There were also several dirt-stained areas that looked almost like _skid marks._

"L-L-Logan.." she hiccupped into the crook of his neck. Logan immediately snapped away from his shocked and angered thoughts and he began to hold his sister tightly. She clung to him, crying and trying to choke out an explanation. He hushed her as best he could into her ear, trying to make the affection go unnoticed by his stunned servants and guards. There stares only angered him further.

"What are you all standing around for!" he roared. "Get a nursemaid! And bring a fresh set of clothes for the princess to my chambers!" he hesitated as he snuck a glance at her again. "And draw her a bath! _Now_!"

He was answered by multiple 'Yes my Lord's and 'Right away, my Lord's. He hissed in annoyance at the incompetence of his servants. His anger was short lived, as another sniffle escaped his battered sibling. In an instant she was in his arms, and he began the climb up to his bed chambers. His heart stung with guilt at her every sniffle and sob. What had happened? Where was Walter and Jasper? Was she assaulted? _Who_ had _dared_ to assault her? He would have them hung publicly for it. He shook his head. Now was not the time for that. Answers would come later, for now, healing was in order.

He pressed his forehead to her's, nuzzling the bangs that clung so desperately to her face.

"It's alright, Vanessa. You're safe now. You're always safe in my arms.."


	2. Home Sweet Home

"We'll take good care of 'er, m'Lord." One of the nursemaids assured Logan as he hesitantly allowed the two to guide the princess into his private bathroom. He was giving the full responsibility of cleaning and caring for Vanessa to two common nursemaids, which had never been a problem before, but_ now_.. Logan looked over the back of her thigh again, two deep scratch marks being the focus of his gaze. He clenched his back molars down in worried frustration as he finally released his sister's arm.

"You had better." He muttered bitterly before turning away to leave. In all honestly, he'd rather be bathing her himself. She was in no emotional condition for these idiots to try and idly chat with her or ask her what happened or something else equally as stupid. Those wounds were still fresh, literally _and_ metaphorically speaking. He stalked over to his desk as a nervous male servant opened his chamber doors and hurriedly walked to the bed. He placed the clean set of clothes for the princess on the comforter before pivoting on his heel in an attempt to make a hasty exit.

"You there." Logan called to him. The man stopped abruptly, biting back fear.

"Y-yes my Lord?" he turned to him cautiously. Logan strode to him, each step, each soft clank of metal on his armor sending terror through the servant's body. He stopped; too close, from the servant's point of view.

"Inform the chef that he has more than one meal to prepare this evening. _And_ inform his help to send them to my chambers; I have no intention of allowing an audience for my sister tonight."

"Yes my Lord." He bowed quickly before disappearing out of the double doors. Logan rolled his eyes in irritation. The fools wouldn't have anything to fear if they just did their damn jobs.

* * *

><p>Vanessa sat up to her nose in a thick mass of bubbles as one of the nursemaids undid her braid, which had been begging to be undone for days. The task was much more difficult than it normally would have been since there was quite a bit of dried blood in it, you see.<p>

She let out a comfortable sigh. It was so nice to be in water, and not water that was freezing cold or full of dead bodies, but good old clean, bubbly water. She shook her hair out as the last loop of her braid came out. She could still feel the bunches of hair that refused to move from their original placement because of the blood that had dried there days ago. She felt a ping of disgust run through her torso as she realized she hadn't the foggiest idea who or what that blood had actually come from. She sunk into the bubbles, trying to forget those horrid three weeks. Underwater, Vanessa scrubbed at her hair viciously, hoping some of the dirt would come out from under her once pretty nails. She surfaced and wiped the water from her face and looked over her nails. She smiled slightly seeing that her plan had worked.

A sudden pair of hands on her head made her jolt up out of fearful habit. She turned her head back quickly, only to see the nursemaid she knew as 'Karen' washing her hair. Karen smiled down to her.

"Don'tcha worry m'lady, we're gunna getcha all clean n' polished like a princess outta be." Vanessa smiled back awkwardly and nodded.

She faced forward again. Hopefully that awful twitch would go away after being home for a few days. She looked down, watching the bubbles, dirty with soil and blood, running down her shoulders and breasts. A disgusted sneer came over her face as the want to smear the filth from her body overcame her. She held it back though. She wanted to watch the putridness of those weeks run down and away from her forever. She wanted to savor it.

After a thorough scrubbing, a few top-quality potions and some nail-work, the princess could help from smiling. She hadn't felt so clean in what seemed like years. The nursemaids finished scrubbing the bathtub from all the disgusting stains her bath left behind and then departed, giving her a bow from each before shutting the door. She sat there in a plush white towel for a few minutes before it finally dawned on her.

She was _home._

A massive amount of joy overcame her and she let a wide smile spread over her lips. She took in a deep breath of the clean, clean air and closed her eyes. After another moment of enjoying the peacefulness of her home for eighteen years, she stood and began to dry herself fully. All she wanted to do now was see Logan. She had to talk to him. She had to tell him.

"Wait." She stopped in the middle of drying her hair. Should she tell Logan? Should she tell him she has Hero capabilities, even if they're still very limited? What would he say? What would he_ do_? She swallowed hard.

No. No, she couldn't tell him that. She'd have to make something up, some other reason Walter would take her so far away, and for what purpose. She paused again.

"Walter.." She whispered, guilt suddenly welling up inside of her. The cold shivers of remorse inside of her did not stop when she wrapped the towel around her again, nor when she exited the bathroom and sat down on her brother's bed. Her eyes began to sting and water. What had she done?

* * *

><p>Logan walked very hurriedly back to his chambers. One of the nursemaids, 'Carol' or something, had informed him that the princess finished her bath<em> ten minutes ago<em>. The idiots, did they really think it'd be good to leave her alone for even a second?

"_Idiots_." He hissed as he ascended the last small set of steps that led to his room. He took in a deep breath. His hand enclosed the doorknob and with one more push from his conscience, he turned the knob, opened the door and entered. What he found was not reassuring.

His little princess was there alright, but she was in nothing but a towel and crying into her petite little hands on his bed. Logan shut the door and quickly made his way to her side. He bit back spite at those moronic nursemaids for leaving her all by herself, leaving a mental note in the back of his mind to see to it they were punished for it. He slid his arm around back and under left elbow.

"Vanessa.." He murmured against her hair, which looked much healthier now. It had been years since he had had to comfort her through tears and hiccups, and to be honest he was worried he was a little rusty. She didn't raise her head from the palms of her hands, but she did begin to speak.

"Oh Logan." She sobbed out. "I'm so.. sorry.. I'm so_ sorry_.." His eyebrows relaxed slightly as the worry became evident on his face. He pulled her tighter against him.

"No Vanessa, I am the one who should be sorry. I was much too harsh on you that day.." He gently touched her knuckles with his free hand. "Don't cry, sister. It's alright" Her hands balled up into fists and came down hard on her own knees.

"No! No, it's not alright!" she managed to yell clearly through her sniffling. "I ruined _everything_.." she collapsed into sobs again. Logan slumped his shoulders, unsure of how to comfort his distraught sibling. He ran his free hand through her still damp hair, trying to come up with something to say. Before he could form anything, she spoke again.

"I shouldn't have left. I sh-should have s-stayed here. Nothing will e-ever be the same again.. because of _me_! I broke our trust.. I-I.." she shook underneath his touch. "I'll never have my family together again.."

"I'm here Vanessa, I won't ever be gone." His voice seemed hollow, and he kicked himself inwardly for what seemed like the hundredth time today. He needed to be sincere right now, Avo curse it.

"Not just you Logan! Walter, Jasper! T-they can't come back.. you'll have them executed, I know it.. and Elliot.." her voice trailed off and her body shook. Logan took in another deep breath, debating whether it was wise to disclose this information with her in this state. It only took another hard sob to convince him it was.

"..He's not dead, you know." Vanessa's body stopped quivering slightly. She sat up a little, looking up at her brother.

"H-he's not..?" she whispered in confusion. Logan frowned slightly and shook his head 'no'.

"The guards put off his execution due to the weather or something stupid like that, and had him put into the dungeon until the morning. By then you had run away and we took him out for.. questioning." Vanessa's eyes lit up eagerly and she sat up fully. "-_but_, he escaped and disappeared two weeks ago. One of the servants must have helped him. We haven't been able to find him.."

Her eyes filled with a fresh set of tears, and she lowered her head, letting them fall with the accompaniment of soft whimpers. Logan looked down at her sadly before setting his arm on her bicep and pulling her up to him. He nuzzled against her face as he used to when she was young, but he only seemed to get a solemn frown against his chin line. After a few moments of rubbing her arm, he spoke.

"I could try and find him." He murmured into her hair. She looked up at him, that confused look in her eyes again.

"Really?" Her eyes lit up with hopefulness once more.

"Yes.. I stopped wasting manpower searching for him not long after he left, and directed it more toward finding _you_. He might have come out of hiding by now.." Before he could add anything more to his explanation, Vanessa swung her arms around him and hugged him tight, making the startled king fall over on his bed.

"Oh_ Logan_!" she smiled, tiny trails of tears still running down her face and onto the neck of his shirt. Logan tried to laugh off the awkwardly close contact while also trying to keep the towel covering her entire body from slipping off.

"Vanessa, _please_." He almost begged from beneath her coddling and nuzzling. It didn't stop her.


	3. The Most Horrible Emotion in the World

It didn't take long for the emotionally and physically drained princess to fall asleep on her still confused and embarrassed older brother, leaving him even more confused and embarrassed. After a few moments, Logan managed to scoot slowly up the side of his bed until he was, for the most part, laying correctly on it. He settled his head on the pillow and looked down to his right at his exhausted little sister. She was much cleaner now, and all of her injuries were healed, as far as he could see, but her eyes now resembled his, in a less harsh way, of course. He thought for a moment longer about her injuries, particularly about the two deep cuts on her left inner thigh. He wondered in panic if they had left horrid scars on her flesh, the same flesh he vowed to protect, and to keep from injury and scarring for as long as he remained on this Earth. Logan looked down from the corner of his eye at his sleeping princess, who was still _very_ much sleeping. He took a deep inhale through his nose and scooted himself up just a bit more, so he was more-or-less sitting up. He looked at her again and noted that his movement had not disturbed her in the slightest. He couldn't help the small smile that played at his lips. She had always been so lethargic.

Logan reassured himself that he wouldn't wake her and make things horribly awkward and terrible one last time before he, _very_ carefully, lifted the edge of the towel still wrapped around Vanessa's body, just enough to see the spot where the lacerations had been. He peered over her shoulder and let out a barely audible sigh of relief to see nothing but perfect skin. He replaced the towel on her thigh and rested his arm over the small of her back. His eyes wandered down to look at her tired face once more, and he mentally questioned how she could sleep on tassels and a metal breastplate. Moments passed like hours, just watching her take in small breaths of air, only to release them seconds later just as softly as she took them in. He felt so warm, like he hadn't in years. Holding her again brought back a feeling he hadn't truly felt in almost two years; love. What a horrible emotion, he mused. Of course, when you're feeling it, it is the most amazing sensation, to be with the one you truly care the most about above all others; but when they're away, or when you can't be by their side when they need you, the feeling turns on a coin and stabs you right in the gullet, and becomes the most heart-wrenching, spirit-crushing sensation any man has ever felt. The king almost started to depress himself when his sister let out a soft moan and smiled into the tassels on his shoulder pads. That feeling welled up inside of him again and he decided to lay there just _relishing_ in it for as long as he could.

A clattering in the hall outside of his room shook Logan from his peaceful thoughts and brought him back into his regular state of paranoia. Thoughts began to race inside his tired mind. What _time_ was it? Were the servants bringing dinner already? Vanessa's not even clothed, and here he is lying around in bed, with her almost _bare_! Immediately he shifted to get up, finally rousing his sister from her slumber. She made groggy, almost grouchy, whimpers as her brother coddled her closely, so as not to drop her.

"Wh..whu.." she tried to form a sentence.

"Vanessa." He said coolly, trying to take back his normal control of the situation that he had apparently lost to fits of affection after she returned home. "The servants are going to be bringing dinner up soon, you must get dressed." Sleepy eyes looked up at him, and Logan secretly wondered if she even heard him.

"_Vanessa_." This time she smiled at him and nodded slowly.

"Okay.." she murmured, before sitting up. She didn't grab at her towel, and Logan had to quickly do it for her. He motioned to it in another embarrassed huff for her to take it, and she did, holding it up to her collar loosely. She slowly squirmed her legs over the side and let out a yawn. She was still very tired. Logan got up from the bed in a quick, almost perfect sort of manner, trying to act as though he hadn't just been relaxing or being comfortable. He rounded the bed and picked up what he thought was one dress, but as a wisp of white fell back to the comforter, he realized that the servant that had brought the change of clothing had brought two dresses; one an actual dress, and one more of a nightgown.

At least one of them can think.

Logan picked up the thin, white dress, which honestly looked like something a very sickly person, like an old, ill woman or something, should be wearing. But it was soft and it breathed, perfect for his princess that was in dire need of rest. He walked back to her and placed the gown next to her gently, folding it over itself as he did so.

"You can change into this." He motioned to the dress. "I'll.." he cleared his throat slightly. "I'll be in the bathroom while you do so." She nodded to him as he turned to leave for his bathroom.

He closed the door behind him quietly and prayed to Avo she wouldn't just fall asleep nude or something on his bed. _That_ would be something for a servant to walk in on. He scoffed.

"I can already _hear_ the rumors.." he muttered bitterly at the idea of these chatty little peasants, so eager to gobble up devious tales and regurgitate them all over Albion. It wasn't so much their opinion of _him_ that upset him, as he had long come to terms with how ignorant most all of Albion's children could be. No, it wasn't him, it was their ideas of _her._ Avo only knows of what they're already prattling on about downstairs, in the halls, in the kitchen, in the garden, it didn't matter _where_, just that they were. Sometimes their little gossip-fables were so ludicrous, they were almost humorous; and other times, they made _sense_. And that's what worried him. If one of those idiots could patch up some insidious and devilish tale about her little three week escapade outside of the castle, when they have no proof that she has done _anything_ wrong, he would execute any that dare preach it, or _believe_ it, for that matter. They may have made him out to be some monster, a tyrant that beats orphans for entertainment and baths in gold and eats crunchy chicks for every meal or _what_ever, but he would never allow their flapping gums to turn her into some _runaway tramp_.

He leaned against the edge of the counter and pressed two fingers to the bridge of his nose. He could only hope that their seemingly undying love for her would give her a shield of "she-can-do-no-wrong" and blame what happened fully on him, not her. He let out a sigh. Once-again-tired eyes roamed over the floor, looking at his boots and then to the bath, where not but an hour ago his battered sister had washed away that horrid ordeal. Logan's brows flexed quickly as his eyes caught sight of a tiny object hidden behind one of the clawed feet of the tub. He leaned down on one knee and plucked up the item with a gloved hand. The King of Albion brought it up to his face, and widened his eyes upon the close examination.

It was a bullet. Or what was left of one, anyway.

He turned the fragment over and over in his fingers. It was clean now, save for a tiny sliver of blood that was buried deep one of the crevices of the slug. A horrid, sickening feeling twisted in his stomach as he realized this came from his beloved sister's body. Someone had _shot_ her. Someone had aimed and fired a bullet at her, and it had made contact and pierced her skin, muscle, perhaps even _bone_. Boiling anger replaced the sickening feeling almost instantly. Whoever had done this would pay _dearly._

Hands shaking with anger carefully placed the bullet in a small jewelry box he kept on the shelf above the toilet, along with many other small, seemingly insignificant knick-knacks. Only he knew that none of them were insignificant in the slightest. Logan turned back to the door, forcing confidence that his sister was finished. He took another glace at the shelf before letting himself leave the room.

It seemed his confidence was not in vain. She had dressed herself, enough so to even put on her socks; though, she had immediately curled up on the pillows and gone back to sleep. Logan shook his head in amusement before making his way to the bedside. He stopped to look her over; making sure everything was in order before turning to leave again. Perhaps there was still enough time to run over a few more budget plans before dinner.

"Lo~ogan.." Came a very lazy voice. He stopped dead in his tracks and turned back to her questioningly. She opened her arms towards him, almost like a child asking to get picked up, and smiled at him. He lowered his eyebrows. The majority of his mind was tugging at him to go and finish some work while he still could, but the minority…

"_Mm_!" she managed past he tired smile, wiggling her arms a little. Logan snorted in defeat and walked back to her. He unlatched the sides of his breastplate and set it gently on the floor. He then unfastened his gauntlets and set them next to his breastplate. That seemed to make her happy, because she started to squirm with childish glee from getting her way. Another snort and smile and he slid in next to her, wrapping one strong arm around her. Vanessa very quickly found a comfortable spot on Logan's chest and snuggled into it happily. He let out a comfortable sigh as she did so and moved his hand up her back and onto the back of her head, rustling her hair like he used to when she was a child. He felt her smile against his shirt and that long-lost feeling filled him up again for a third time in half an hour. After a few minutes, her breaths had slowed again, and her body relaxed, though it remained pressed tightly against him. He closed his eyes in contentment and brought her head just a little closer to his face, nuzzling her wavy locks and breathing in a faint but familiar scent. She shifted in her sleep at the movement, settling in the curve of his neck. Logan softly shook his head again in amusement, keeping his hand on her head. His gloved fingers continued to run idly through her hair until, slumber claimed him as well.


	4. Fine Dining and Bullet Wounds

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

"My.. my lord? Are you in there, my Lord?" said a shaking male voice.

Logan groaned in tired agitation. His eyes blink awake, then slowly took in his surroundings. He was still in his room, and the small breaths on his neck assured him that so was his princess. The light that came from the windows was dim now, so he concluded it was nightfall. Another series of knocks rang out in the large bed chamber.

"My King? Are you there?" The voice sounded louder this time. Logan shook off the last bit of sleep in his mind before sliding his arm out from under his sister and sitting up. She shifted lazily in the spot where his back had been, but did not make an effort to rise. The King snortled before slicking back his hair.

"The bastards never come when I'm _expecting_ them to." He muttered to himself. "_Yes_, I'm in here. Enter." He commanded as he stood up and attempted to straighten his shirt.

The double doors to the room opened and a group of servants entered quickly, supplies firmly in hand. Two male servants balanced a small table between them, hurriedly trying to place it down and get out of the King's bedroom as fast as they could. The men carrying the chairs followed their lead, hastily placing the chairs in their proper places and exiting. Logan folded his hands behind his back as a trio of female servants placed down charger plates, silverware and a candelabrum with five milky white candles protruding from each of its five arms. The last maid to exit lit the candles with a match, while two other male servants lit the two large candelabras on either side of his bed. Logan glowered at one that kept his curious eyes on his resting sister longer than he liked, making the man shiver in dread. He watched with a hard, expecting stare as the remaining helps exited, and the head chef entered, two of his assistants trailing close behind him. The pair placed the covered dishes on the chargers before removing the cover, the chef making a dramatic sweeping bow as they did.

"Enjoy, your Majesty." He said all-too-jolly, before turning to leave, his assistants and the last two servants, a man and woman, followed him out. The two turned and bowed to him with a quick 'My Lord', and promptly shut the door. Logan sighed in a near-agitated manner. He was unsure if he liked his help to be so damned afraid of him or not. However, they certainly worked to perfection under the impression that if they didn't they would lose much more than their jobs, and perfection was never a bad thing in Logan's eyes. He turned to Vanessa and frowned slightly. He didn't want to pry at her for information about her little 'adventure', but he had to. He had to know where those_ traitors_ got to, and, more importantly, exactly _what _had befallen his dear sibling out on the cruel streets of Bowerstone. He reached out a gloved hand to her and rocked her shoulder slowly.

"Vanessa. Vanessa wake up." He tried to sound commanding, but it came out more like a soft request. Regardless, she yawned and opened one eye to look at him. He raised an eyebrow at her before mentioning that dinner was ready, hoping to entice her to get up with food. It seemed to work, since she promptly sat up, eyes wide from the thought of a _cooked_ dinner.

The princess slowly swung her legs over the side of the bed, and was led to the table by her more-awake King. He stopped to pull out her chair like he had been taught in the many chivalry classes of his youth, a gesture that made her smile. How long had it been since someone had done that for her? She nodded a 'Thank you' before sitting down, allowing Logan to push her in. He then rounded the table in a swift stride and sat down directly across from her. He enlaced his fingers at the knuckles and brought them up to his mouth, elbows perched firmly on the table's edge, and he watched her. He watched her face as she excitedly examined the plate before her, taking in every detail he could. Her hair was shiny and bouncy again, and her skin was less-pale and more-peachy now, with rosy hues at soft curves of her face—all thanks to a simple bath. Physically, there appeared to be nothing wrong, but a quick look at her eyes—wide and hungry—proved that idea to be a false one. Logan frowned slightly—he had seen that look many times; the eyes of the less fortunate, the eyes of the needy, the starved, the poor—_beggar's _eyes. While the idea of the Crown Princess of Albion having them, Logan couldn't deny they were the _prettiest _beggar's eyes he'd ever seen. He lowered his arms.

"_Eat_, Vanessa." He commanded with a chortle as he brought his goblet to his lips. Vanessa looked up at him quickly and her face became almost immediately hot in embarrassment from making her rumored-to-be humorless brother laugh at her gawking.

"Yes—sorry." She muttered softly before hesitantly cutting off a bite of the beef on her plate. She bit it off of her fork, and it took a moment to register that it may be the most delicious thing she ever ate and exactly_ how_ hungry she was. She began to cut off several pieces of steak and hurriedly ate them, along with bites of potatoes and greens scattered around her plate. Her sudden need to consume startled her companion on the other side of the table, and he slowly lowered his cup from his lips, mouth still slightly open in surprise. A few seconds passed before Vanessa felt her brother's gaze on her once more. She looked up at him, mouth closed, but still half-full of food. The astounded look on his face made her cheeks redden again. She swallowed and hung her head in embarrassment and shame for letting her table manners fail her so. She managed another, softer 'Sorry'. Logan's brows lowered slightly in concern. Was she starving out there all those days?

"Vanessa, it's alright. You're hungry,_ eat_." He offered gently. She looked up at him, still embarrassed by her own behavior. He gave her the most sincere smile he could. "Don't be ashamed of being hungry, _eat_ sister, you need to."

"I'm sorry Logan, it feels like forever since I sat down and ate a nice meal.. it's been mostly meat pie or celery—" He hushed her.

"Don't tell me of your adventures yet, dearest. Just eat until you're full again." He smiled again. _Like you should be, _he thought bitterly. She smiled politely and nodded.

The meal continued in near silence until both had finished eating. After he finished, Logan pushed his plate to the corner of the table. He then slid a gloved finger under Vanessa's plate and lifted it away from her, placing it carefully on his own, small clatters whispered to life when the porcelain faces met. It was silent again as Logan brought his hands together. He watched his sister again, who was nervously messing with her fingers. They both knew what had to happen now.

"Vanessa." He started. "I know you've been through.. _a lot_." He tried his best not to sound angry. "—but I need to know, what _exactly_ happened to you. I've kept us in private tonight so you could tell me without the prying eyes of nobles on you—at least until you can get a good portion of these.. _events_ out of your mind and onto someone else's. I need that someone to be me."

Vanessa looked up at him, eyes unsure. She had attempted to make up an account of her travels and 'adventures' without giving away that she was a Hero. She was able to come up with some near-fantastic ways of how she got so far from the castle—she could only hope they would be able to fool her calculating brother—but as far as _why _she would have been out there fighting and gaining public appeal, the only person she could blame that on was Walter. She knew Logan would never believe it was her that wanted to go out and fight and rebel against him, she hadn't even thoroughly enjoyed combat training, why lead a revolution? Silently she prayed that Logan could forgive Walter for something he didn't even commit. She swallowed.

"I know brother.." A few anxious sighs. "W.. where should I start?"

"How did you escape?" The coldness in his voice chilled her to the bone. She swallowed again.

"J-Jasper.. he.. he had a transport potion." Logan raised his eyes in interest. She continued. "He said he had saved it for a long time, for such a 'desperate occasion'. Walter said we had to get as far away from the castle as we could—and he had a friend in Mistpeak—s-so.." Her heart felt like it was going to jump out of her chest. She never_ was_ good at lying to Logan. She attempted to start again. "The potion could take an excess of five people—well, beings. So we took Marco.. We arrived in a camp—like the ones you told me about, the gypsy camps, but covered in snow—"

"The Dwellers." Logan murmured absent mindedly.

"Huh?"

"Hm? Nothing. Continue." The tone in his voice worried her, as if he suspected something, but she obeyed.

"We met an old man there, Sabine, I think. He didn't trust me because I.. well, I'm your sister." Logan nodded slightly. "He told me to help his people and he'd trust me. He wanted me to—" '_To find the music box' _She completed in her head. She couldn't tell Logan that. "—to find his people a food source in Brightwall, and to stop the mercenaries from robbing and murdering them. Walter had a 'safe house' in the mountains.. that's where Jasper is.. and Walter and I went to Brightwall to try and find help. People didn't trust me their either. I had to earn their trust by doing random deeds.. I didn't really want to do anything dangerous—I mostly made pie and stayed at the inn.. the bed there was disgusting.."

"If you weren't fighting how did you get hurt so badly?" His voice was pressing.

"I—I didn't.. I didn't want to.. but this woman, her daughter, she said she had run off—maybe to a_ wolf_ cave, I had to help, I couldn't ignore that.. and I couldn't find Walter or wait for him to show up—and I fought wolves with him and Marco on the way to Brightwall, I didn't think it would be overwhelming—"

"Wolves did not _shoot you_, Vanessa!" He growled. His eyebrows shot up when she immediately rebutted, hands clenched into tiny fists on her lap.

"I'm _getting to that_ Logan—_**please**_!" She shot her head away from him, eyes locked onto a spot on the floor. Slowly that spot of pattern on the rug blurred as tears welled up, and finally disappeared when she shut her eyes tight. Logan felt his gut twist in regret from pressuring her to get to the part he wanted to know—apart that he knew must have been painful for her. He frowned, whether it was at her shaking shoulders or his own actions, he was unsure.

"Vanessa, I'm sorry. _Please_—don't cry.." He slid his left hand over the polished wood, offering her smaller one sanctuary in his grasp. She looked at him, eyes still watery, then to his hand. Slowly, her thin fingers moved to his, and were then consumed under the black leather that bound them. He gave her hand a soft squeeze. "Forgive me, it upsets me to know someone could or _would_ ever harm you.. I'm not angry at _you_, Vanessa."

"I know.." She had actually been crying for fear Logan didn't believe some of the made-up parts of her story, but perhaps the scared and crying little sister card was a good one to play. Not that all the awful things she had been drug through the past weeks weren't tear-worthy, just that Logan might not prod her with unnerving questions if she didn't try and be brave tonight. She brought her cuff to her eye and rubbed away at her eyes. "I just.. It's been very hard.."

"I know—I'm sorry. Please continue, I promise not to interrupt again." He tried another smile, and felt a little better about his previous actions when she smiled back at him.

"Alright.." It felt good to know he could still be sincere. "Well, Marco and I set off to find the wolves' cave, and when we found it, there weren't many wolves, so it was easy to cut them back and find the little girl. But right after I found her, there seemed to be dozens of the bastards.." Logan tried not to show surprise at his sister's use of the word 'bastard'. "I was able to beat them back enough so she, Marco and I all made it out of the cave, but they chased us down the mountain some, so I told her to run ahead a little and I'd fight this pack of seven or so myself.. That was a bad idea. I managed kill off some of the weaker ones, but a big one knocked me down and got a hold of my left thigh.."

Logan's mouth twisted down in disgust, his fingers slowly squeezing her's again. She looked up at him and gave him a sheepish smile.

"Marco attacked it, and somehow my other thigh got gashed pretty bad in that struggle, but I made it out okay." Her brother's gaze bore into her. "Well, you know, besides that." She gave him another sheepish smile. Logan closed his eyes and a deep exhale escaped his nose. Vanessa's eyebrows lowered slightly. This must be harder for him to hear than she thought. There were very few instances in her life where Logan was upset physically, and each of those times she remembered herself feeling so sick and helpless. He had always been strong for both of them, and she didn't want to see him upset like that again, especially not from her words.

"I'm sorry Logan.. taking it with a little humor is all." She offered shyly. He opened his eyes to meet her's. He wanted to tell her 'There is absolutely_ nothing_ funny about you in harm's way.', but managed to hold his tongue and simply nod.

"Anyway.. It was a bit of a struggle down the mountain, but we made it onto the trail to Brightwall. Then.." Her demeanor dampened slightly. "I heard a gunshot—It didn't really.. _register_ at first.." Logan kept his eyes locked on her, hand gripping her's tighter still. "It didn't hurt until a few seconds later but, I had been shot in the arm—my left arm. I turned over towards the forest, and a small group of.. bandits I think, were coming at us. I hurried the little girl away from the area, and they shot at the ground right by us a couple times. I convinced her to run, and she did. I wasn't too sure about fighting, you know, people.. but I had to.."

She went silent then, and unknowingly made her brother's heart jump into his throat. The same thoughts filled his mind; beatings, abduction,_ rape_. He quickly begged Avo that that was _not_ what had happened to his precious sister, and if it had, that the bastards that did it had escaped _alive_ so he could kill them _himself_. He barely heard her start to speak again.

"I remember shooting one, and he fell.. and then the other—with the rifle. But the one with the sword snuck up behind me.." Logan's heart was bounding in his ear now. "—He struck me in the head with the handle of his sword. I was disoriented for a few seconds, but I—" '—shot fire at him' "—shot him.. I think Marco mauled one of the men that fell, and the one that hit me—I hit him again.." She shook her head, trying to think clearly. "I fell after that. I remember Marco growling and barking, and then a little later Walter was there.. and all the men were dead.."

"Vanessa." Logan's voice was urgent. She looked up at him, but his words didn't come quickly. "I.. Vanessa you weren't.. _assaulted_—were you?" She stared at him, unsure of his meaning for a few seconds. The worry in his eyes made her eyes widen with understanding.

"_No_! Oh _Avo_—Logan, _no_!" Her cheeks reddened for the third time tonight. The King's shoulders immediately went lax with relief and he heaved out a sigh. He looked up at his sister again after a moment and was met by a look of bewilderment on her face. He returned one of his own, and became a bit frazzled when her mouth twisted into a smile and she burst out into a fit of giggles.

"Oh Logan, is _that_ what you were so concerned about this whole time?" She laughed softly though her fingers. Logan fought back embarrassment from showing on his cheeks.

"It's a legitimate thing to worry about!" He defended. Vanessa placed her hand over his in attempt to calm his legendary temper from boiling over.

"I know it is." She smiled at him warmly. "Thank you for worrying about me. It's good to know you do." Logan relaxed again and tried to smile back. It was very strange to be sociable again. He cleared his throat, his right fist resting on his lip.

"How.. did you return home?" He asked calmly. Vanessa looked at him quickly before dropping her eyes again.

"Walter took me back to the.. safe house. And I was crying, saying how I wasn't meant for all of this, and how I couldn't do it.. Jasper took Walter aside and they talked a little bit before Walter came up to me and gave me a bottle. I thought it was health potion, but it was the transport potion. It still had enough power to send one person somewhere—anywhere. He told me if I wanted to go home, that you wouldn't punish me, it'd be him. I wanted to see you so bad.." her voice trailed off.

"You made the right choice." Logan assured her. "You're safe here." She smiled slightly at him and nodded, but the nagging feeling of abandoning Walter and her destiny still ate away at her. It was silent for a few, painfully long seconds. The sudden movement of her brother getting up from his chair startled her from her solemn thoughts.

"_Enough of this_." Logan said in a demanding voice. "Come." He offered her his hand, and she took it, allowing him to hoist her up into a stand. "That's enough of relieving the past for one night, sister. Your adventure sounds like you need a lot more than a few hours of rest. Let's go to bed." He said the last bit gently. Vanessa smiled at him again.

"That sounds wonderful." She said through a toothy grin. Logan smirked at her childlike mannerisms again. Why Walter thought to take her to Mistpeak of all places, he'd never know. He led her to the right side of his bed, and told her to get comfortable, and that he would join her shortly. He watched her pull back the comforter and slide into bed before turning to go to his wardrobe. He had recently decided that he didn't trust his servants to dress him any longer, so dressing himself in his pajamas was nothing out of the ordinary. After he had changed into a two-piece, purple silk pair of pajamas, he walked to the small table and blew out the candles on the candelabra. He then rounded his bed and got in on the left side. As Logan situated himself, he felt a smaller being entangle herself up against him. He snortled again, and finished settling in, letting his right hand fall on her left shoulder.

"I hope this is emotionally satisfying for you." He muttered into the dimply lit air.

"It is." He could feel her smile against his collar. "I've missed this."

"I wouldn't get used to this, but I wouldn't let you sleep alone tonight if someone paid me." Logan grumbled before shifted slightly.

"..Thank you, Logan." There was a pause.

"..Anything, sister."


End file.
